Samurai Jack - Chapter CII: Some Time Later
=Chapter CII= Some Time Later Some time had passed since the samurai named Jack had finally accomplished his mission, and brought peace to his land. Although he has stopped aging, yet fifty years passed, he finally destroyed the dreaded and feared demonic being known as Aku, but had sadly lost the love of his life, Aku's one rebellious daughter who changed for the better, the beautiful Ashi. Ashi helped Jack destroy Aku for good, even if it meant something else would happen... On the day Jack and Ashi were to be married, but sadly, Ashi reminded Jack that since Aku was destroyed in the past by the gallant and bold samurai with the help of the rebel daughter of Aku, Ashi reminded her fiancé that she would no longer hold on to her life now that Aku is gone... and she vanished in his arms... breaking his heart deeply. Jack ran away from the hall and rode through the woods, finally collapsing under a tree... leaving only himself to mourn his only one true love... until that moment came, a ladybug flew by and landed on his hand, and Jack smiled upon the simple sight of the bug, stood up, and set it free, now knowing in his heart, he was never alone. The bug reminded him of Ashi, and her memory would never end up scattered in the winds forever. The sunlight poured out of the clouds, making the forest more beautiful than ever before... and as the winds gently blew through the land, his gi, and his hair, peace finally returned to the land, free of evil... free of despair... and of course, free of Aku. Renchaku ha na hanasanai As Jack continued to journey through the forests and villages, only able to smile at the peace he brought to the land, the sky, the seas, and the living things on the planet, he would soon be visited by his mother. She knew the pain Jack was in since Ashi had tragically vanished, but she promised him he was never alone. He knew she was right, and always kept her memory with him thanks to his encounter with the ladybug that he set free in the forest. Little did he know that he would soon see her again... but when? He had given up his role as a warrior in both spiritual and physical forms, but he knew he was still one at heart although he had accomplished what was necessary... and yet he knew he would find a new way to keep life going on. It was only a matter of time before he met a beautiful woman named Tao, a villager who had lost her own family to a dreadful illness... and the two suddenly related to each other, remembering each other when they first met as kids when they caught crickets together, and the very first kiss he was given was from her, and in time, started to spend their time together, and it was soon revealed they would have a child... The child was not suspected by Jack to be the return of a soul he once knew, but when the child was born... the child was a very beautiful baby girl. It had black hair down the same way Ashi did when she freed herself of her burnt black body after getting away for the first time as an adult, and the same large, narrow and beautiful eyes... When Jack returned to visit Tao, he heard the unexpected... a newborn's cries. The baby did not know where she was, nor who she was with at this very moment. She could not stop crying as in her mind, she questioned what was going on without talking because she was a baby after all. She was wrapped in a dark pink blanket, and her arms were allowed to be out of the blanket. She was being held gently in the arms of Tao, and when Jack entered the room, he noticed Tao smiling at him. As the baby cried, unaware of where she was, the words the baby thought up in her mind were, "The last thing I remember is fading away in Jack's arms. Wherever I was going, I would dearly miss the sight of him... Now, I feel myself awakening in the arms of another. Who is this woman? Why is she bigger than me? Why do I feel so small? And weak? And fragile? Why am I gasping for air all of sudden? Where are all my teeth? I don't like this! Samurai? Where are you? Samurai! Samurai!" When Jack walked up to Tao and the child in her arms, the baby stopped crying and opened its eyes, looking right at Jack, recognizing him immediately. "...J--Jack?" thought the baby in its mind. As he leaned closer to see her better, the baby smiled for the first time... Jack was now her father... and her life was now bound to be the core for a much happier one in her earlier stage. Renchaku ha na hanasanai Tao still smiled, allowing Jack to take the child in her arms. The baby cooed happily as she reached out her small arm and laid her tiny hand on his face, and Jack loved the face of this child. It reminded him even more of Ashi. "Ashi..." Jack was already holding back tears at this very moment, and he decided it would be the name of this child, their child. To him, he was being told, his late fiancé from the past... Ashi was reborn. "It's you. You're here, and.. you're my father. The samurai is my father. And this woman, his new bride-- no-- my new mother! I have a mother." the baby thought in her mind. "Samurai... I spared your life, and now you've given me a new one. In giving me a family, you and my mother have done more than I can ever repay." the baby thought to Jack in her mind. "Tao... Thank you..." Jack choked up as he hugged the child gently. He was very, very happy, so was Tao, and so was the baby girl, now named Ashi in remembrance of the past Ashi who vanished that day. Thanks to that day the baby was born, a new life for her, much happier, was bound to come for her, and she would become something even greater than what her soul in the past. Trivia *The female vocal heard at the end of Chapter CI, Renchaku ha na hanasanai is Japanese for "This unforgettable love I will not let go". *The story was inspired partially by this picture: https://www.deviantart.com/ready2create/art/Samurai-Jack-s-Firstborn-684797597 Category:Stories